SPARTANAT - The big magnifier comparison review

01/08/2017By Redaktion

3x 5x 7x Aimpoint

A large part of shooting speed is achieved through quick target acquisition. This is best done with a reflex or red dot sight. These have been an integral part of many military forces worldwide for a long time and are indispensable. With the help of a reflex sight, one is able to hit targets at 200 to 300 meters, but with a major drawback: target identification with the naked eye is difficult at 100 meters and impossible at 200 meters. To compensate for this weakness, there are so-called "Magnifiers", magnification modules mounted behind the reflex sight that magnify the target in a fixed range (e.g. 3x). There is also the opinion that this "DIY solution" with a reflex sight and magnifier provides better solutions compared to a good telescopic sight or combat sights (compact telescopic sights with usually non-adjustable magnification), but as always, it depends on the purpose, which defines the equipment.

In general, it can be said:

90% 0-100 meters and occasionally beyond up to 300m = Reflex sight with Magnifier

90% 50-300 meters = Combat Sight or Telescopic Sight (TS)

90% 100-XXX meters Telescopic Sight

There are also combinations in the TS/Combat Sight range, where a mini red dot sight is mounted on the primary optics (example: Elcan Specter DR with attached red dot), or mounted at a special angle of 45°. These solutions are ideal for quick shots, but not from every shooting position and require a lot of practice and definitely more time to shoot than with a real red dot sight. This also applies to telescopic sights operating in the range of 1x – x. There, the disadvantage is usually that the field of view is quite small due to the tube, which makes target acquisition difficult.

The Magnifier solution is certainly not optimal, but for the intended use of 0-300 meters, it is the best of both worlds. In close range, you have the ideal sighting with the reflex sight, and from 100 meters you add the magnification. If the Magnifier is not needed, it can be quickly removed, giving you a lighter rifle as well.

As there is an overwhelming variety of devices in this sector in price ranges from 15€ to 1,100€, we have compiled a selection of the most common devices and tested them. In the coming weeks, we will present you with ten devices that fit every budget and application. All devices have been carefully examined, measured, and compared, and at this point, we would like to thank the following companies for providing them:

Oberland Arms (http://www.oberlandarms.com/)

Fotoresort/Mediaresort (https://www.mediaresort.de/)

EL BE tac (http://www.el-be-tac.com/)

HEDE Tactical Parts (http://www.hedetac.de/)

Gearaffe tactical equipment (https://www.facebook.com/Gearaffe/info?tab=page_info)

We also thank Sniper-AS (http://sniper-as.de) for the quick delivery of small accessories needed for the recordings. There are many opinions and even more reports on the entire Internet where one device or another has been compared, but we have not yet discovered an objective compilation of this scope. We believe that the comparison is enriching for those looking for the right magnification module for their reflex sight and hope to provide a small purchasing decision aid with the report.

In addition, we would like to clarify that we could not thoroughly test the devices, as they were only on loan. However, we have captured the optical and mechanical quality, weight, dimensions, and general impressions and hope that you will like it.

Regarding the terminology, in the reviews we speak of "absolute cowitness" and "1/3 lower cowitness" when it comes to the height of the mounts. Unfortunately, there is no real standard - backup iron sights on an AR15 flattop are taken as reference. When the aiming point aligns with the sights, it is called "absolute cowitness". If the point is slightly above the sights, it is "1/3 lower cowitness". Absolute cowitness mounts are therefore not as high as 1/3 lower cowitness mounts - usually around 7mm.

One more thing: All the devices we tested do exactly what they are supposed to do: they magnify and help with more precise shooting. Some better, some worse - but all devices are recommendable and definitely superior to Chinese clones in every way.

But see for yourself.

The video at the beginning is a teaser for the upcoming weeks. Also, don't forget to check back at the end, where we will provide a summary and a clear table of all devices. The footage showing buildings was taken exclusively with the magnification module WITHOUT a weapon and sight and is only for illustrative purposes regarding optical quality and magnification.

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